The rest of 2026
November to December 2026November
2026AutumnOn now4 free thingsfireworks, gold coaches and the lights go onPomp & ceremonySecond Saturday of November
Lord Mayor's Show
📍 The City, Bank to the Royal Courts
Eight hundred years old and still free. A three-mile procession of floats, bands and the gold State Coach through the City.
The catchFree from the street, with a free fireworks finale over the river to close it.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalOn and around 5 November
Bonfire Night
📍 Citywide
Fireworks light up the skyline. Many of the big displays now charge, but the sky itself is free from any high point.
The catchCatch them free from Primrose Hill, Parliament Hill or Greenwich. The organised displays are the ticketed bit.
Pomp & ceremonySecond Sunday of November
Remembrance Sunday
📍 The Cenotaph, Whitehall
The nation's act of remembrance at the Cenotaph, with the march past of veterans down Whitehall.
The catchFree to watch from Whitehall. Solemn, and worth seeing once.
Date shifts each year, check before you goLightsEarly to mid November
Christmas lights switch-ons
📍 Regent St, Carnaby, Covent Garden, Seven Dials
The West End flicks the switch. Regent Street's are the grandest, Carnaby always the most fun.
The catchFree to walk under all of them. The switch-on events are free too.
Date shifts each year, check before you goDecember
2026Winter5 free thingsthe whole centre glitters, for freeLightsAll month
Christmas lights and window displays
📍 West End, Covent Garden, the City
The centre glitters. Carnaby, Seven Dials, Covent Garden's giant tree and the windows at Liberty and Fortnum's.
The catchAll free to wander. Skip the ticketed light trails and just walk the West End.
LightsFrom early December
Trafalgar Square tree and carols
📍 Trafalgar Square
Norway's annual gift to London, a giant spruce, with free carol singing under it most evenings.
The catchFree. A lovely, low-key bit of Christmas.
Culture & faithThroughout December
Free carol services
📍 Churches citywide
Wren churches and cathedrals fill with free carol services and candlelight through the month.
The catchFree to attend. St Paul's and the Abbey get busy, the City churches stay quieter.
LightsLate Nov to early Jan
Winter Wonderland
📍 Hyde Park
Free to get in and soak up the lights, the markets and the big wheel sparkle.
The catchEntry is free. The rides, bars and shows inside are where it gets pricey.
Street festival31 December
New Year's Eve fireworks
📍 The river, or any high point
The midnight fireworks off the London Eye. The official riverside is ticketed, the skyline above it is not.
The catchWatch free from Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Alexandra Palace or the bridges east of the action.
Into 2027
The same free fixtures, the year's next loopJanuary
2027Winter4 free thingsthe city's at its emptiest. go enjoy itStreet festival1 January
London New Year's Day Parade
📍 Piccadilly to Parliament Square
Marching bands, cheerleaders and vintage cars wind through the West End to kick the year off.
The catchFree from the pavement. Only the grandstand seats cost money, so just turn up early on the route.
Street festivalFirst Sunday of January
Twelfth Night at Bankside
📍 Bankside, by the Globe
The Holly Man rows ashore for a wassail, with mummers, a brass band and a bit of pagan winter daftness by the river.
The catchCompletely free and gloriously odd. Dress warm, it is all outdoors by the Thames.
Date shifts each year, check before you goPomp & ceremonyLast Sunday of January
Charles I commemoration
📍 The Mall to Whitehall
The King's Army of the English Civil War Society marches to mark the execution of Charles I outside Banqueting House.
The catchFree to watch. A genuinely strange slice of history most Londoners never see.
Date shifts each year, check before you goCulture & faithAll month
The big museums at their quietest
📍 Citywide
The crowds have gone home and the British Museum, the Tates and the National Gallery are at their emptiest of the year.
The catchPermanent collections are always free. The blockbuster ticketed shows are the only paid bit.
February
2027Winter4 free thingschinatown lights up, bring an appetiteStreet festivalThe Lunar New Year weekend
Lunar New Year
📍 Chinatown, Trafalgar Square
The biggest celebration outside Asia. Lion dances, firecrackers and a Trafalgar Square stage, with Chinatown lit end to end.
The catchAll free to watch. Go early, the West End gets rammed by lunchtime.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalShrove Tuesday
Pancake Day races
📍 Spitalfields, Guildhall, Leadenhall
Office teams and locals leg it down the street flipping pancakes in fancy dress.
The catchFree and very silly. The date moves with Easter, so check the day.
Date shifts each year, check before you goCulture & faithA Sunday in mid February
BAFTA red carpet
📍 Southbank, Royal Festival Hall
Film stars on the carpet at the awards. Get behind the public barrier and you can watch the lot for nothing.
The catchFree from the public side. Arrive hours early and bring patience for a glimpse.
Date shifts each year, check before you goSeason & natureLate February
Snowdrops and first crocuses
📍 Parks and garden squares
The first snowdrops and crocuses carpet St James's Park and the squares before anyone else notices.
The catchFree, obviously. Nature does not charge admission.
March
2027Spring4 free thingsspring shows up, so does the greenStreet festivalSunday nearest 17 March
St Patrick's Day Festival
📍 Trafalgar Square to Whitehall
A green parade through the centre and a free festival on the Square with music, food stalls and dancing.
The catchParade and Square are free. Only the pint costs you.
Date shifts each year, check before you goFree to watchLate March
Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race
📍 Putney to Mortlake
The two crews thrash it out along four miles of the Thames, watched from both banks.
The catchFree from the towpath. Hammersmith Bridge and Furnival Gardens get the best views.
Date shifts each year, check before you goSeason & natureThroughout March
Spring blossom begins
📍 Greenwich, Regent's Park, St Paul's
Magnolias and the first cherry blossom open up. Greenwich Park and the gardens by St Paul's lead the way.
The catchFree. Kew is glorious but ticketed, so head for the royal parks instead.
Culture & faithOn Holi, in March
Holi colour festivals
📍 Various
Colour-throwing Holi events pop up across the city to mark the Hindu festival of spring.
The catchMany are free to join in. Wear clothes you do not mind ruining.
Date shifts each year, check before you goApril
2027Spring4 free thingsthe best free street party of springFree to watchA Sunday in late April
London Marathon
📍 Greenwich to The Mall
Forty thousand runners and the best free street party in London. Bring a homemade sign and cheer total strangers.
The catchTotally free to watch. The route from Greenwich to the Mall is lined all day.
Date shifts each year, check before you goSeason & natureEarly to mid April
Cherry blossom peak
📍 Greenwich Park, Regent's Park, Battersea
Peak sakura. The avenue in Greenwich Park goes full pink and so does the Isabella Plantation.
The catchFree. Go on a weekday morning before the picnic blankets land.
Street festivalThe weekend nearest 23 April
St George's Day on the Square
📍 Trafalgar Square
A free feast of English food, music and a bit of Shakespeare on the Square for England's patron saint.
The catchFree to wander in and out.
Culture & faithA weekend in mid April
Vaisakhi
📍 Trafalgar Square
The Sikh new year, marked with music, dancing and a free community meal on the Square.
The catchFree, and the langar (the shared meal) is free too. All welcome.
Date shifts each year, check before you goMay
2027Spring4 free thingspuppets, flowers and the first warm eveningsStreet festivalSecond Sunday of May
Covent Garden May Fayre & Puppet Festival
📍 St Paul's Church, Covent Garden
Punch and Judy professors gather where Pepys first saw the show in 1662. A brass band procession and free puppet shows all day.
The catchFree. Brilliantly old and very London.
Date shifts each year, check before you goSeason & natureChelsea Flower Show week, late May
Chelsea & Belgravia in Bloom
📍 Chelsea, Belgravia
While the Flower Show charges in, the streets around it go mad with giant free floral installations on every shopfront.
The catchThe Flower Show is ticketed. The Bloom trails outside are completely free.
Date shifts each year, check before you goCulture & faithOne weekend in mid May
Museums at night
📍 Citywide
Museums and galleries throw open after dark for one weekend with free tours, talks and torch-lit trails.
The catchFree late events across the city. Some popular slots ask you to book ahead.
Date shifts each year, check before you goPomp & ceremonyThe two Saturdays before Trooping
Trooping rehearsals begin
📍 The Mall, Horse Guards
The Major General's and Colonel's Reviews are the full Trooping rehearsal, minus the crowds and the royals.
The catchFree from the Mall. Far quieter than the main event in June.
Date shifts each year, check before you goJune
2027Summer4 free thingspomp, pride and the longest daysPomp & ceremonyThe second Saturday of June
Trooping the Colour
📍 The Mall, Horse Guards Parade
The King's birthday parade. 1,400 soldiers, the flypast and all the pomp London does best.
The catchFree from the Mall and St James's Park. The Colonel's Review the week before is the same show with half the crowd.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalLate June into early July
Greenwich+Docklands Festival
📍 Greenwich, Woolwich, the Docks
London's biggest free outdoor theatre festival. Aerial shows, dance and street spectacle across the river.
The catchAlmost all of it is free and outdoors.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalLate June or early July
Pride in London
📍 Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall
A million people and the loudest, brightest parade of the year through the centre of town.
The catchFree to watch and join the crowds. Some park stages are ticketed, the parade is not.
Date shifts each year, check before you goSeason & natureFrom June
Open-air swimming season
📍 Hampstead, Brockwell, the Serpentine
The ponds and lidos hit their stride. Hampstead's mixed pond is a fiver in the honesty box.
The catchThe Hampstead ponds are donation only. The Serpentine Lido charges, the ponds barely do.
July
2027Summer7 free thingsfree theatre by the river, all summerStreet festivalLate June to mid July
Wimbledon
📍 Wimbledon, SW19 and screens citywide
The world's oldest tennis championship. Every match is free to air on the BBC, and free outdoor big screens pop up across London for the finals weekend.
The catchFree to watch on the BBC and on London's free screens. Getting into the grounds is not free, but the Queue sells day tickets at face value.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festival18 to 19 July
Under the Same Sun
📍 County Hall, Southbank
The Four Seasons Festival takes over County Hall for a free weekend of live concerts, guided tours, clay workshops and family art along the Queen's Walk.
The catchFree entry, though sessions can fill fast. The indoor sitar, tabla and chai afternoons are ticketed and paid separately.
Street festivalLate July
Sandwich Medieval Weekend
📍 Quay Green, Sandwich, Kent
The Cinque Port town of Sandwich turns medieval for a weekend. Knights fight on Quay Green, there is have-a-go archery and axe throwing, medieval crafts and a mead bar, plus a Saturday folk revel with Morris and a Robin Hood play.
The catchFree entry both days. The day out is free, the train is not, so book an advance single from about £13 each way from St Pancras, about 1h35 direct.
Date shifts each year, check before you goPomp & ceremonyThird week of July
Swan Upping
📍 The Thames, Sunbury upstream
The King's Swan Marker rows up the Thames in scarlet to count the royal swans. Yes, really.
The catchFree to watch from the bank. Possibly the most English thing on this whole list.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalJuly to September
Free theatre at The Scoop
📍 More London, by Tower Bridge
A sunken amphitheatre by the river puts on free plays, films and music all summer long.
The catchCompletely free, first come first served. Bring a cushion.
Street festivalA weekend in mid July
Lambeth Country Show
📍 Brockwell Park
A free country fair in the middle of south London, complete with the legendary vegetable-animal competition.
The catchFree to get in. Food, the funfair and a pint are the only spends.
Date shifts each year, check before you goCulture & faithOpens mid July, runs to September
BBC Proms begins
📍 Royal Albert Hall and parks
The world's biggest classical festival opens its run. The standing arena tickets are famously cheap.
The catchNot free but close. Promming spots are a few quid on the day. Proms in the Park comes in September.
Date shifts each year, check before you goAugust
2027Summer4 free thingscarnival. need we say moreStreet festivalThe August bank holiday weekend
Notting Hill Carnival
📍 Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove
Europe's biggest street party. Two million people, sound systems, steel bands and the best jerk chicken of the year.
The catchTotally free. Sunday is family day, Monday is the big parade.
Culture & faithAll month
The City empties out
📍 The City, Westminster
Londoners flee, so the City and the big museums empty right out. The best month to have the place to yourself.
The catchFree museums, no queues. The locals' August secret.
Season & natureAll month
Meadows and heaths in full bloom
📍 Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park
Wildflower meadows and long light evenings. The Heath and Richmond Park are at their best right now.
The catchFree. Bring a picnic and skip the £14 rooftop cocktail.
Culture & faithAll month
Free open-air film nights
📍 Parks citywide
Some councils and venues run genuinely free outdoor film screenings through the warm weeks.
The catchHunt out the council-run free screenings, not the ticketed rooftop ones.
Date shifts each year, check before you goSeptember
2027Autumn4 free thingsthe doors most londoners never get throughCulture & faithTwo weekends in mid September
Open House Festival
📍 Citywide
Hundreds of buildings normally shut to the public open their doors for free. Skyscrapers, town halls, private homes, the lot.
The catchAll free. The famous ones need booking weeks ahead, but loads are walk-up.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalAll month
Totally Thames
📍 Along the river
A month of free riverside art, the Great River Race and mudlarking events on the foreshore.
The catchMost of it is free and strung along the water.
Art & designMid to late September
London Design Festival
📍 Citywide
Installations and open studios across the city, with big public artworks landing in stations and squares.
The catchThe street installations and most showrooms are free to see.
Date shifts each year, check before you goStreet festivalThe harvest weekend, late September
Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival
📍 Guildhall Yard to St Mary-le-Bow
The pearly kings and queens parade in their button-covered suits for the cockney harvest festival.
The catchFree, and wonderfully old London.
Date shifts each year, check before you goOctober
2027Autumn4 free thingsthe festival of light, and the leavesCulture & faithA weekend in mid to late October
Diwali on Trafalgar Square
📍 Trafalgar Square
London's free Diwali. Dance, food, lanterns and the festival of light done large in the heart of town.
The catchFree to wander in.
Date shifts each year, check before you goArt & designMid September to late October
Frieze Sculpture
📍 Regent's Park, English Gardens
The art fair charges, but its sculpture park drops world-class works across Regent's Park for nothing.
The catchThe outdoor sculpture is free. The tents are the ticketed bit.
Date shifts each year, check before you goCulture & faithAll month
Black History Month
📍 Citywide
Free exhibitions, talks and walking tours across the city's museums and venues all month.
The catchA huge free programme. The big institutions lead it.
Season & natureLate October
Autumn colour in the parks
📍 Richmond, Hampstead, Holland Park
The parks turn gold. Richmond Park, the Heath and the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park put on the show.
The catchFree. Kew charges, the royal parks do not.
Heads-up: these are recurring annual fixtures, so exact dates shift a little each year. Anything marked “date shifts each year” moves the most, so check the official listing before you set off. Spotted one we have missed? Tell us.
